So i just bought a 1981 sedan deville with the 368 v8-6-4 (decommisioned) engine from my uncle

i was told it needed a timing chain (and boy did it, one of the loosest chains i've ever seen) and it should fire right up

so i replaced the chain but when i did this i was unsure of timing mark alignment

i have a chilton manual for 1980 but it doesnt cover 1981 (obviously), the marks that showed in the book had the cam gear with the mark pointing straight down and the crank pointing straight up (for a 1980) but upon pulling the cover the marks were both pointing straight up

So idk if the timing may have jumped 180 or if installed it incorrectly, i put the new gears and chain in the way i took it off, both pointing straight up

so i'm curious if i put the gears in right or not, if i did then i may have been a tooth off on my dizzy when i put it back in and that may be causing my issue of not starting

this is my first caddy and i'm already fairly frustrated with it, so any help would be greatly appreciated

jayoldschool

04-29-13, 08:14 PM

Don't start it, I'll go check my 1981 factory service manual. You really need to get one, they are better than Chilton's. Ebay always has a few, cheap. Back in a bit.

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Ok, just looked it up for you. Timing marks should line up. Crank at the top, cam gear at bottom, WITH CYL #4 at firing position (eg, #4 TDC, rotor pointing at #4 on cap). So, I think if you rotate the engine, the marks will line up. Get the marks lined up, then check #4.

alc5m

04-29-13, 09:00 PM

thats what i figured jay, i actually had read thru your entire build thread the other day where you posted pictures of the water pump, sick caddy, and i really appreciate it

now that i reread this let me clarify cause now i confused myself

so i put it to tdc at cylinder 1, looking at the rotor, it pointed to the back passenger side of the engine, so does that mean i put it 180 off on the cam?

jayoldschool

04-29-13, 11:27 PM

No, your engine is timed right as it is. The crank pulley turns at a different speed than the cam due to the different size pulleys. So, with your crank mark UP and your cam mark UP, if you rotated the engine once, the crank would be UP and the cam would SIDEWAYS. One more crank revolution and the crank would be UP and the cam mark would be DOWN, right where it is supposed to be. As long as the cam didn't move when you took the chain off and reinstalled, you're good. If it will make you feel better to see the marks line up (and nothing wrong with that, I like to do a complete rotation on chain and belt swaps, especially on interference engines), just put a socket on the crank and spin the engine around. Your marks will line up.

alc5m

04-30-13, 05:30 PM

crap, that makes sense, which means i'm running into a different issue for why it wont start

i might pull the valve covers to make sure i'm tdc at cylinder 1 and make sure where the distributor is facing then i guess

i may still be out of time, not sure, but the car tries cranking but doesnt want to fire, but spraying fuel into the throttle body, and injectors she'll fire but doesnt stay running

i pushed the schroeder valve on the fuel line and some fuel popped out but it wasnt like a crazy pressure, so maybe i have a fuel issue, but i still think i may have a timing issue